Just about anything, although I gravitated more towards adventure novels, horror and SF&F. I went through a bit of a period of reading anything about animals, whether they were anthropomorphised, like in Redwall and its sequels, or slightly (though not much) more naturalistic, such as Duncton Wood, Marshworld or Watership Down, as well.

As a child, oh wow.....Jack and Jill, anyone remember that? Beano, tons of Enid Blyton, Hans Anderson, the brothers Grimm, A C Doyle, and, believe it or not, GK Chesterton. I still have his Coloured Lands, the copy I have must be more than 60 years old now.

Like I have said before... I am number 11 of 12 kids who never had TV. Soooooooooooooo many books. Moving our book collections every three years was a larger operation than moving the furniture. It was always the ideal of the other kids "teach the little ones to read really early and you won't have to read TO them" so I read my first novel at 5. (apparently my parents didn't aprove of that book and it was the ONLY time I ever had a book taken away from me.) We had books on every subject under the sun; everyone had different tastes and they were all there for the reading. I think we had more books than the travelling library van.
Though I do remember with joy a little hard cover children's book called "Bunchy". Loved that book. She was a little girl who lived with her grandmother and had to amuse her self with cotton reels and pegs and things she found around the house (guess I identified with her). She also had a vivid imagination and there were "people who lived in the carpet" Hmmm. Sound familiar?

I know where you're coming from deldaisy. I'm the 5th of 11. Books gives me more pleasure than TV ever could. The Brothers Grimm. I read these stories I think when I was four. I was given a big hardcover book full of rhymes for Christmas. It was the Matilda rhyme we had to perform when I was about 6 at school. My most vivid memories of reading are the Thelwell books. With the ponies. I know they're picture books, but did they make me laugh! I was going to reget them, but they are so expensive now. I can highly recommend them if you want a good giggle.

Hi Maria, I collect all things Thelwell & have all the books, in hb & pb. Not just the pony books. Thelwell was a brilliant cartoonist. He was also a not so bad artist too. I have picked up my collection, mostly cheaply from car boot sales, etc.

wind in the willows was my first book that I read myself, over and over again.
There is a Swedish authour called Sven Nordqvist who writes about an old hermit and his cat findus that my kids loved, I have bought them in English for my brothers sons aswell, really good books.
Allen Garner was an authour I liked when I was round 10-13 really good.